Help Me
by vampwillow1
Summary: Bella & Mike are together but something is not quite right. Along comes Alice and turns Bella's life upside down. Sucky summary but give it a go, lots of Mike bashing!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: It happened! I won the lottery, paid off S Meyer and now I own Twilight and can have my evil way with everyone! Oh yeah, I live in this dimension, the one where I most definitely don't own Twilight or its characters. That honour and all royalties still go to Stephanie Meyer. But if I do win the lottery I will certainly make her an offer for Alice Cullen. And Bella Swan.**

**AN: A new story from me, only my second ever but hopefully a good one. I'm still learning This is un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine. I am not a professional writer, this is simply a constructive outlet for me so please, no flames or plain nasty reviews. Constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated.**

**Chapter One**

Beep, beep, beep, beep. _'Shut up, shut up, shut up!' _The beeping continued relentlesslyand Bella groaned as she rolled over in her warm, comfy bed and violently thumped the offensive object that had woken her up, knocking it on to the floor with a clatter. "Shut up!"

The girl lay on her stomach and pushed her long brown hair out of her eyes. She had a little drool in the corner of her mouth and wiped it away with the back of her hand. _'I swear to god I only went to bed five minutes ago, how can it be morning already? I don't want to move. Just let me stay here.' _The clock, angry at being thrown on to the floor, started to beep again, taunting the girl. Bella sat up slowly and perched herself on the edge of her bed, leaning down to pick the clock up and turn the irritating alarm off. She placed it roughly back on her bedside table. She hated the damn thing but she needed it.

It was the beginning of another week, another Monday morning in Forks, Washington and Bella was gearing herself up for the same old dull week at Forks High School. She glanced out her bedroom window, daring to hope she might be pleasantly surprised with an appearance by the sun for a change; it was grey skies and raining. _'Well there's a fucking surprise.' _She twisted and stretched her back and neck, relishing the cracking sound her body made as it began to loosen up. She grudgingly willed herself into the small bathroom across the hall from her bedroom, tripping over her sneakers on the way. '_Damn it!' _ She kicked the offending shoes across the room. _'Great start to the week already.' _She entered the chilly bathroom and shivered. She hated Forks weather with a passion, it was always too cold. Bella stared at her reflection in the mirror as she began her morning ritual and got ready for school. As she did this she started, as she had been doing for a while now, to reflect on her life so far.

Isabella Marie Swan was seventeen years old and had lived in Forks her entire life, with Police Chief Charlie Swan. Or Dad, as he was commonly known to Bella. Her mom, Renee, had walked out on them both when Bella was very young; she had only been five years old. According to Charlie, Renee had felt trapped by her life in Forks and needed to escape and live her life to the fullest. Having a husband and daughter was a minor inconvenience she could apparently overlook. Bella had not seen or heard from her mom ever since. She didn't miss her at all. Charlie had done a great job bringing her up alone and she loved him to death.

Bella had three close, very good friends, Angela, Jessica and Eric. She had grown up with them since she met them on her first day at kindergarten and she cherished them. She, Jessica and Angela had united together to beat up a bully who had been picking on Eric and since then the four of them had been virtually inseparable. She also had a boyfriend, Mike Newton. But she certainly didn't cherish him, not any more. Mike had moved to Forks only two years ago and they had got together pretty soon after. He had pursued her relentlessly, showering his affections on her like an unwanted puppy. The more she rejected his advances, the more he chased her. Bella eventually gave in; it was easier than continuously rejecting him and he wasn't a total ass, she did like the guy. She had to admit, he had seemed almost like the perfect guy at first, attentive and fun. He had made Bella feel special. But lately, something was off with him and Bella couldn't put her finger on it. He had changed. _'He's my boyfriend. Why don't I feel totally happy with him? I don't like kissing him anymore, why? Am I doing it wrong? Is he?'_

Bella couldn't help thinking that it was partly her fault something wasn't right between them. She had a good life, a loving father, very good friends, and despite his recent mood swings, a sometimes good boyfriend. She should be happy; certainly a lot of people were worse off than she was. But lately she had been feeling different. She felt almost out of place, like she didn't belong in her own skin. It was as though all of a sudden her life felt very wrong, like it had been meant for someone else to live. Like a karmic mistake.She was certain that Mike was picking up on her moods and maybe that was why he was acting funny at times. Bella frowned at her reflection and shook her head, as though the action alone would make all her thoughts and feelings be miraculously thrown out of her body, causing her to feel at peace once more.

Bella trudged back into her messy, chaotic bedroom and stripped off her tank top and boy shorts. She pulled on some plain underwear, a pair of faded ripped jeans and grabbed a checked shirt from her closet and got dressed. Bella was so not in the mood for school. She briefly contemplated lying to Charlie, pretending she didn't feel well. She soon dismissed the idea out of hand. One, Charlie never believed her unless it was totally obvious she was sick and secondly, Bella always kind of thought that if you fake being sick, you will get sick for real and no-one will believe you.

"Bella," Charlie yelled up the stairs. "Mike's here. Hurry up and get your ass down here kiddo."

"Coming Dad," she yelled back. Bella pulled on her well worn black Converse sneakers, grabbed her school bag and ran down the stairs. As she almost always did, she tripped down the last two steps.

"Woah babe, you've gotta be more careful. You don't want to hurt yourself," Mike said as he pulled Bella to her feet. "Good morning sexy." He smiled and kissed his girlfriend sloppily, his hands roaming up and down Bella's back. He normally wouldn't dare do this with Chief Swan in the close vicinity but luckily for Mike he was out of sight in the kitchen, blissfully unaware of the assault currently being launched on his only daughter's lips.

Bella reciprocated half-heartedly. '_Ugh, he probably thinks this is a good kiss. I may not have much experience but I know it must be better than this. It has to be.' _At the beginning of their two years together, she had enjoyed being with Mike but now? Now she realised she was just tolerating him, kissing him and playing the part of a perfect girlfriend. Having a boyfriend certainly helped in the hell that was high school. And it gave her a pretty good social life. But now his kisses irritated her. They were not good, they were sloppy and all about him. _'Does he even care how I feel?' _She pushed Mike away from her subtly,"Mmm, good morning Mike." Bella replied softly. Mike didn't even notice her subdued demeanour. _'Typical guy. They never notice anything.'_

"Here you go Bella." Charlie returned from the kitchen and handed his daughter a slice of cold, burnt toast. "I'm not letting you go to school running on empty. Start getting up a little earlier okay? And when are you gonna learn that the last two steps have always been there and always will be?"

Bella laughed. "Whatever. Thanks for the toast Dad." Bella took the toast gratefully and hugged Charlie. _'Not all guys are bad.' _"I'll see you tonight. I'll cook okay? Stay away from the stove!"

Charlie just rolled his eyes and grinned. "Have a good day Bells."

"You too Pops." Bella smiled at her father.

"Let's go babe, we're gonna be late. Bye Chief." Mike yelled as he grabbed Bella's free hand and together they ran out of the door. Bella hopped into Mike's truck and they headed off to Forks High, with Mike's hideous rap music blaring out of the stereo. He started talking so Bella turned the music down so she could hear what he was saying, "So, I hear we have a bunch of new kids starting today. Been a while since we had some new faces around here."

"Yeah, a family from Alaska apparently. Jessica overhead the principal in the office last Friday. I think they're going to be in our grade. According to Jess, one of the guys is massive. She snuck a look at their files. Maybe he'll be on the football team with you. The Spartans need all the help they can get," she joked, trying to fill the ride to school with meaningless conversation.

"Maybe he will. And we're not that bad, only third from bottom in the league. But I'm going to make sure the new kids know you're my girl. They better not get any ideas." Mike smiled, grabbing Bella's hand possessively, squeezing it just a little too tight and kissing it. Bella just smiled thinly and let him hold it. She hated how Mike made her feel like a piece of his personal property. _'Why doesn't he just brand me? Stamp 'Property of Mike Newton – Touch At Your Peril' right across my forehead!' _She gazed thoughtfully at their entwined hands. _'It doesn't even look right. His hands are big, sweaty and rough. God, they could almost pass for the Alien Face Hugger! They squeeze mine too tight. Jesus Christ, what the hell is wrong with me? Come on Bella, snap out of it.' _She snapped out of her thoughts, relieved that Mike hadn't noticed she had spaced out.

They pulled into the school parking lot, parking quite a way from the school entrance. Bella spotted her friends waiting for them on the steps leading into the building and waved at them as she jumped out of the truck, slamming the door. As she started to make her way over towards them Mike suddenly grabbed her arm tightly, just above her elbow, pulling her backwards sharply, "Ow! Mike that hurt. What did you do that for?" Bella rubbed her arm; she was going to have a bruise tomorrow. She glanced at her friends; they had not noticed what happened. No-one had, they were too far away.

"What are you doing running ahead of me? We walk together, you know that Bella." Mike flung his arm around Bella's shoulders, holding her close to him tightly, and they walked to their friends together. Bella's arm still hurt but she hid it. "Morning guys. Here we go again. Another week." Mike high-fived and fist-bumped Eric.

"Yeah but this time there's new kids!" Jessica spoke up excitedly, clapping her hands together, looking like an excitable sea lion, "Nothing exciting ever happens here. I wonder what they're like. I hope they're gorgeous, I like, so need a man."

"Me too." Eric agreed. "But if they're gorgeous that means unattainable."

"Aw sweetie, don't sell yourself short. Any man would be lucky to have you." Angela rubbed his head affectionately. Bella laughed as Eric swatted her off and tried to fix his hair.

"I'm sure they're perfectly normal and you'll find out soon enough Jessica Fletcher." Bella joked with Jessica, tapping her on her nose. "I feel sorry for them actually, this place is a total nightmare for new people. Everyone will be watching their every move, hoping they'll make an ass of themselves."

"But that's half the fun!" Mike exclaimed. Bella frowned. "Oh babe, it's a joke. Lighten up would ya? I promise I'll be nice if I speak to them." The early warning bell rang, signalling that classes were about to start. "Want me to walk you to class?" Mike asked.

"No thanks Mike, you're going in the opposite direction. I'm perfectly capable of walking all by myself. I'm a big girl. I'll see you at lunch okay?" Bella leant up and pecked Mike on the cheek. He didn't answer her, just watched silently as she walked away from him.

The gang all went their separate ways and Bella headed to her first class, glad to be by herself. She entered the classroom and sat in her regular seat at the back, by the window. The class was a free period so she could sit and think quietly. She had a lot on her mind. _'What is up with Mike? He really hurt my arm just now. He's starting to scare me a little. I think I need to break up with him. Yeah, that'll go down well. Maybe we can go on a break. Does that even work? Does he even know he hurt me earlier? It didn't seem like he did. He's getting so possessive. I don't like it. And this isn't the first time either.'_

Bella sat silently and recalled the first time Mike had hurt her, albeit unintentionally.

**Flashback**

It was a Saturday night and Mike and Bella were at a surprise birthday party for Jessica. The music was pounding; everyone was laughing and having a good time. In Mike's case he was having too much of a good time, drinking far too much beer. He was wasted and Bella was disgusted with him.

"Mike? I'm going to speak to Jess okay?" Bella yelled into his ear, over the music.

"Okay Bella Nella." Mike slurred, trying to hug his girlfriend and kiss her with his beer breath. Bella evaded him as best as she could, causing him to fall down on to the couch that was conveniently placed next to him.

"Mike, don't call me crap like that. And ease up on the beer; you've had way too much." Bella left Mike sprawled on the couch, glad to get away from him. She found Jessica in the kitchen with Angela and Eric and joined her friends. "Whew, Mike's loaded. Honestly, I can't stand that guy sometimes."

"Oh leave him; I want to introduce you to someone," Jessica was excited. "TYLER. Get your sweet ass over here," she laughed.

Bella looked behind her friend and saw a handsome guy walking towards them. _'Pretty cute I guess. Not really my type.'_

"Bella, this is Tyler Crowley. He just transferred to Forks from Los Angeles."

"Hey Bella. Nice to meet you." Tyler held his hand out politely and Bella took it.

"Hi Tyler, welcome to Forks. How'd you end up here from LA?"

"Long story short – folks dragged me here. But everyone I've met so far has been very nice and welcoming so that makes up for it."

"I'm glad we measure up. The weather must be a real shock for someone from sunny Cali." Bella joked with him. They started chatting and easily fell into a good conversation. They were getting on well so far and Bella was enjoying talking to him. Tyler turned out to be a naturally touchy-feely guy and at the precise moment he had his hand on Bella's shoulder, Mike stumbled into the kitchen.

When he saw Bella talking to another male student, he saw red and got insanely jealous. "Bella, what are you doing?"

"Nothing Mike, just talking to Tyler. Have you guys met?"

"No. Come with me." Tyler and Jessica watched as Mike took Bella by her arm, pulled her into another room and slammed the door shut behind him. Tyler and Jessica looked at each other.

"Should we go after them?" Tyler asked.

Jessica shrugged, "Nah, he's just wasted; Bella can take care of herself. Come on, you need to meet some more people." Jessica grabbed his hand and they ran off together into the party.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Mike had flung his girlfriend forward and Bella crashed into a large oak cabinet, the sharp corners hurting her ribs. She held her throbbing side; she was shocked to say the least. "Mike, what the hell are you doing? Calm down."

"You left me. To talk to another guy. I expect you to stay with ME Bella. You're my girlfriend." And he left, swaying as he staggered back into the lounge. Bella stayed where she was, unable to believe what had just transpired. After that, the party was over for her, she was no longer in the mood. She asked Angela to drive her home; she was the designated driver for the evening. Bella blamed a sudden headache for her decision to leave. She did not let on what Mike had just done. She couldn't.

**End Flashback**

The next day Mike had apologised profusely for hurting her, blaming it on the alcohol. He swore he hadn't meant to do it and that it would never happen again. Well he had kept his word – until today.

'_Okay, keep things in perspective here Bella. He just grabbed your arm. He didn't push or hit. He just held you back. A little hard, but it was probably an accident.'_

Bella sighed, subconsciously rubbing her arm. Now that she thought about it, she could recall quite a few little incidents where Mike had held her just a bit too hard, had got just a bit too rough with his affections. She had an unnerving, strange feeling that her life was about to change completely and she didn't know how or why. What she did know, what she was almost certain of, was that there was nothing she could do to stop it. She didn't want to stop it. Her life needed to change and she would welcome it.

Something was coming. What would it be?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight or its characters. That honour goes to Stephanie Meyer. Thanks for the alerts and reviews, they really make my day **

**Chapter Two**

The morning had passed infuriatingly slowly for Bella, Father Time taunting her and making her classes seemingly so much more boring than usual. She had struggled to concentrate and found herself counting down the minutes until lunch, which only made the day seem even longer. But now lunchtime had arrived and Bella found herself fighting her way through the crowded masses in the hallways, all heading towards the lunch room, and thought to herself, _'Why was I waiting for this?'_ She finally made it inside the large cafeteria and joined the queue for the food. She wondered why the hell she had bothered once she saw the delicacies that were on offer. _'Oh my god, that looks disgusting.' _She screwed her nose up at the mystery meat, she could have sworn it was still moving and the sight of it turned her stomach. Bella bypassed the hot food completely, fearing for her health, and picked up the egg salad instead, considering it the safest option. '_At least I can tell what's in it.'_ She paid for her food and joined Mike, Jessica, Angela and Eric at their usual table, right in the centre of the cafeteria. Bella hated being in the centre but Jess loved it; she could watch everything that was going on, ensuring she never missed a thing.

"Hi Bella," they chorused.

"Hey guys. How are they allowed to continue to serve this crap? It's a total health hazard. Even Charlie could do better than this," Bella grumbled. "So, has anyone seen the new people yet? I didn't have anyone new in my classes this morning."

"No not yet, I think the principal has them on some sort of orientation thing. They'll probably show up this afternoon. I'm almost sure one of them has Bio with you later Bella." Jessica said with an air of authority.

Bella just stared at her friend, shaking her head slightly. "Seriously Jess, how do you find this stuff out? Do you have the principal's office bugged or something?"

Jessica laughed. "I just like to be in the know. I have my sources."

"You like being nosy more likely," Bella teased her friend as the others laughed at her. She turned to her boyfriend. "Mike, did you have a good morning?"

"It was okay. I missed you though. Glad to have you by my side again."

Bella frowned slightly. _'Almost everything he says seems possessive now. What is going on with him? Or is it me?' _ Bella smiled at him weakly. "Yeah, I'm here now." She turned back to her friends. "So what were you guys talking about?"

They continued to eat their lunches, enjoying the short time away from classes. They were making general conversation when, without any warning, Bella felt all the hairs on her arms and neck rise. She shivered and glanced slowly around the bustling lunch room but nothing out of the ordinary jumped out at her. It was just a regular Monday lunchtime at Forks High. But Bella wasn't fooled. _'Something's up.'_

"Bella?" Mike spoke up. "What are you looking for?"

"Uh… nothing. I just… it's nothing really. Ignore me, I'm just being silly." Bella was feeling jittery. She couldn't shake off the feeling she was being watched and it unnerved her. Her leg was bouncing up and down, one of the many nervous habits she had always had.

Mike put his hand on her thigh, forcing her to stop. "Hey, calm down. You know that's annoying." Mike just looked at his girlfriend strangely and re-joined the conversation at their table. Bella continued to look around but still couldn't see anything. She shook her head and looked back at her friends as she heard her name being spoken.

"Huh, what? What did I miss?"

"We decided to go to the movies this weekend in Port Angeles, you up for it?" Jessica filled her in.

"Umm, sure. Not that soppy chick flick though, it's…" Bella felt it again, that tingling feeling. _'Ok, now I know someone is watching me.' _She looked around the cafeteria again, determined to catch her stalker in the act and give them a piece of her mind.

"Bella, why are you being such a space cadet today?" Angela asked her. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know Ange. I just have a weird feeling. I can't explain it. I'm sorry, carry on. What were you saying?"

"If the chick flick is out, how about The A-Team?" Eric asked.

"Yeah!" Mike was excited.

Jessica put her foot down over that suggestion. "Oh hell no. All you guys want to do is ogle Bradley Cooper and Jessica Biel. How about…"

The conversation had begun to flow again, almost threatening to spill into a slight row about what movie to see when it suddenly stopped altogether.

"Oh my god!" Angela, Eric and Jessica exclaimed simultaneously. Bella followed their eye lines and she could swear her heart stopped beating. Her gaze landed on five of the most stunning people she had ever seen in her life. There were three guys and two girls. Actually that description didn't seem right; there was nothing boyish or girlish about these people. They were men and women. They were all indescribably handsome and beautiful, incredibly pale and looked as though Vogue magazine had created them and tipped them out of the pages of the magazine and directly into their lunch room.

Eric was in awe. "They are… I have no words!"

Bella agreed silently. All of them were incredibly gorgeous but as her eyes swept across them she found she could not tear her eyes away from the smallest girl. She was indescribably… perfect. _'Perfect? No, that word does not do her justice. She's… I'm lost for words. I'm never speechless, this is a first.' _The short girl met Bella's gaze and smiled. Bella felt her blood rush to her cheeks and a warm feeling started bubbling in her stomach. She was vaguely aware of someone shaking her but she couldn't respond to whoever it was.

"Bella. Bella. BELLA!" Mike shook her hard, shaking her out of her stupor. "What the hell are you staring at?"

"Ooh Bella, do you have your eye on one of the new guys?" Jessica teased. Angela and Eric laughed as Bella continued to blush bright red. They never noticed the look on Mike's face but Bella did. And it made her feel terribly uneasy.

"What? Don't be crazy, of course not. I have Mike. I'm just curious," she said as she held Mike's hand. She hoped he would stay calm, her friends were only joking after all.

Jessica had her 'determined' face on. "Why can't I remember their names? I need to find out all about them. Their folders did NOT do them justice. I'll hit my sources this afternoon, get the 911. God, that big guy is hot. Check out the muscles on him!" Jessica fanned her face theatrically.

Bella watched as "the big guy" laughed and the statuesque blonde girl shot a death glare towards their table. _'No way! There is no way they heard Jess just now. Impossible.'_

Eric spoke next. "Have you noticed? There's something a little weird about them. Look at them, they've gone to the furthest table away and they're keeping totally to themselves. They're not even attempting to talk to anybody.It's a little odd, not the best way to make friends."

"Oh Eric, come on, they just got here. It's the middle of the semester and they don't know anyone. Give them a chance before labelling them weird. That tag never goes away once someone is stuck with it," Bella stuck up for the new arrivals. For reasons she could not explain, she felt undeniably drawn to the new, mysterious family. She glanced over at them. Eric was right; they had indeed sat together at the table furthest away from anybody. They seemed almost aloof, like rulers of a kingdom watching over their subjects. Bella could swear the petite girl was staring at her again so she waved slightly, wanting to be friendly but not too obvious in case she wasn't looking at her and Bella was imagining it. She was delighted to receive an excitable wave back. _'She seems nice. Very cute.'_

Unknown to Bella, Mike was watching the exchange between the two girls silently; his eyes narrowed giving his face an almost evil expression. Eric chose that moment to open his big mouth. "Looks like you might have some competition there buddy. She's hot, for a girl," he joked, laughing and slapping Mike on his back.

Mike laughed as Bella whipped her head round and glared at Eric. It sounded like a normal laugh to the others but Bella could hear the chilling tone hidden inside. "Yeah right, she has no chance. Bella's not into girls, she's my girl. Isn't that right babe?" Mike launched himself at Bella before she could answer, kissing her possessively. Luckily Bella didn't have to endure it for too long as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch.

"Sure Mike, I'm all yours." Bella pulled away from him discreetly and looked around the slowly emptying cafeteria. She hated kissing him in front of everyone. Bella had never been one for PDA's; she found them embarrassing and uncomfortable. Her gaze landed on the new family and the short girl looked almost disappointed. _'Why does she look disappointed? I didn't do anything, did I?' _She didn't have time to dwell on it as they all got up, dumped their trays on the way out of the lunchroom and made their way to their afternoon classes.

Bella was in Biology, ignoring the chaos going on around her, waiting for class to start. She sighed and started tapping her pencil on the desk, another nervous habit. Suddenly, without any warning, the strange feeling she had experienced earlier in the lunchroom flared up again. She looked to the door at the front of the room when, as if in slow motion, the shortest of the new kids entered the room gracefully. _'It's her! I can't believe Jess was right about one of them being in Bio with me, that girl is destined to be a spy after college. Maybe a Deb,' _Bella chuckled to herself, thinking of one of Jessica's favourite movies. Her attention was brought back to the girl as she moved lithely towards the teacher who was stood behind his desk, 'S_he has to be a dancer or something; no-one can be that graceful. Oh my god, I'm gonna look like an elephant with a balance problem next to her!' _Bella was suddenly extremely aware that the only available spare seat left in the class was right beside her. She glanced to the front of the room and muttered under her breath, "Shit." She stared as she realised that the teacher had indeed pointed in her direction and the mysterious girl was definitely walking towards her. She finally made it to the desk and sat down.

"Hi, I'm Alice Cullen. And you are?"

Bella was captivated by the girl's beauty now she could see her up close, especially her mesmerising eyes. "Umm… I'm uh…uh… hold on; I know the answer to this I swear. BELLA! I'm Bella. Swan." She blushed bright red and berated herself mentally. _'Idiot! You're an idiot!'_

Alice giggled. "Are you sure about that Bella Swan? You don't seem too certain."

"Yes, it's definitely Bella. That's what it says on my licence so I'm going with it."

"In that case, I'm very pleased to meet you Bella."

The girl held her hand out and Bella took it. She gasped. Alice's hand was ice, ice cold. Anyone else would have dropped it like a hot potato but Bella found herself holding the glacial hand a little longer than was considered socially acceptable. She let go of the pixie-like girl's hand quickly and blushed again. "I'm sorry. I'm not normally this socially idiotic, honestly." _'You make me like this. How?' _Bella screamed internally. Alice laughed, it was very musical, and Bella thought to herself how much she liked the sound. She could easily listen to that sound all day and wished she could have it as her ring tone.

"You're not idiotic at all. You seem very sweet." Alice studied the girl and smiled. "I think we're going to be very good friends Bella Swan. Is that short for Isabella?"

"It is, but call me by that name and you die. Simple as that," Bella warned. She hated her name with a passion, she considered it so old-fashioned.

"OK. Bella it is. Consider me warned," she teased. "But you do know Isabella means beautiful in Italian right? It's actually very fitting. Cliché I know but true none the less." Alice threw her best smile at the girl, relishing the smell of her blood as it rushed to the very top of her skin. _'Oh my, she smells divine.' _Alice swallowed thickly; the venom had begun to fill her mouth just being so close to Bella.

Bella returned the smile, feeling very warm inside. She could feel something inside of her stirring, could feel that something was changing but she didn't know what. Unfortunately she didn't have time to ponder on it any more as the class started, requiring their full attention. Mr Molena was a stickler for people paying attention in his class and the last thing Bella wanted was detention.

After Bio ended, Alice and Bella found out that they both had the same last class, Gym, and decided to walk there together. They exited the Bio lab, chatting away as if they'd been friends for years. Bella was so engrossed in her new-found friend she didn't even notice Mike leaning against a row of lockers outside the classroom, waiting for her. He stared incredulously as his girlfriend walked right past him.

"BELLA," he yelled, attracting everyone's attention.

Bella and Alice both turned around in the direction of the yelling voice. When Bella realised it was Mike, she looked very embarrassed and a little angry. "Mike, why are you yelling? What's the matter?"

"What's the matter? I always walk you to Gym. You didn't even notice me when you came out of class," he complained, sounding like a small, petulant child.

"I'm sorry, I was with somebody. Mike, this is Alice Cullen. Alice this is Mike Newton." Bella introduced them.

"Hello Mike." Alice was polite but Bella noticed the warmth in her voice had vanished.

"Hi Alice. Welcome to Forks. I'm Bella's boyfriend. If you don't mind, I usually walk her to her last class."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. Bella I'll see y…"

"No Alice, you stay right there. Mike, don't be so damn rude. Alice and I have the same last class and she's new so we decided to go together. It's no big deal okay? I'll see you later." Bella chastised her boyfriend and kissed him quickly on his cheek, as he expected her to. She and Alice headed off towards the Gym. Bella never noticed the glare on Mike's face as they walked away. But Alice did and her vampire senses were going crazy.

"Bella, how long have you been going out with Mike?"

"Two years."

"Are you… happy? With him? I don't want to upset you, or offend you, after all I only just met him and you, but he seems a little… mean."

"Oh no, he's just having a bad day. He's a good guy, really." Bella was annoyed with herself, making excuses for Mike's behaviour. But she didn't want anyone to know what he had been like lately. She felt a strong need to change the subject. "So, Alice, I think it's only fair that I warn you that Gym is not exactly one of my better subjects. I think I am actually failing." She laughed as Alice raised a perfectly shaped, sceptical eyebrow, "I know right? Who fails Gym? So I would suggest, very forcefully, that if you want to get through your first day at Forks High relatively unscathed, stay the hell away from me. Especially if volleyball or basketball is involved." Bella joked with her new friend.

"Thanks for the warning but I think I can handle myself. I'm tougher than I look you know." Alice replied.

Bella couldn't help feeling that statement had a hidden meaning but couldn't work out why so she just grinned. The girls laughed as they approached the changing rooms. Bella headed straight inside to get changed but Alice turned around to glance behind her.

She could feel him watching them.

She stared straight at Mike Newton and growled silently.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters. That honour goes to Stephanie Meyer. **

**Chapter Three**

Almost an entire month had passed since Bella Swan and Alice Cullen first entered each others lives. It was now another Thursday afternoon. It was raining as usual in Forks and the end of another school day had finally arrived. Bella was walking out to the parking lot with Alice, doing her very best to avoid the puddles strewn all over the place. Of course, being Bella she was failing miserably. Alice laughed; watching as Bella inadvertently stepped into a deep, water-filled hole and stood scowling at her soaking wet Converse. She of course had no such problem with the puddles; she simply skipped gracefully over them and remained perfectly dry. "Bella, it's not your shoes fault you stepped into a puddle. Stop scowling," she giggled.

"Laugh it up chuckles. We can't all have the graces of a ballerina." Bella shook her wet feet, mumbling curses under her breath. Alice giggled; Bella was very amusing to her.

The two girls had hit it off tremendously since they first met on that Monday afternoon just over three weeks ago, and had fast become very close friends. They spent a lot of their time together by themselves, which unfortunately was not going down too well with Bella's boyfriend. So Alice made more of an effort to sit with Bella, Angela, Eric, Jessica and Mike. If she was honest she liked Bella's friends but Mike was a different story altogether. But ignoring her feelings towards the boy made Bella's life easier so she could live with it.

Bella however couldn't help thinking to herself that there might be something more happening between her and Alice. She knew she had been feeling out of place for a long time now, that something was not right with her life. But since Alice had entered her life and placed herself firmly within it, whatever it was that had been wrong seemed to be… fixing itself. She felt very comfortable and at ease with the girl, happy. Bella had never been a tactile girl but she found herself almost constantly making excuses to touch Alice, whether it was brushing the girl's arm, or holding her hand or walking arm in arm. She felt happier than she had felt for a long, long time and even Mike was not bugging her as much as he normally did. She also continued to feel unfamiliar stirrings deep inside, in the pit of her stomach, whenever Alice hugged her or held her hand. Feelings she had never experienced with Mike. Feelings she had only read about in books and magazines and wondered if she would ever feel. She thought she would feel them with Mike; she tried so hard to feel them. But her heart defied her brain and just refused to play ball. Now it seemed as though her heart worked only for Alice.

Bella was not closed off to the idea of being attracted to a girl, she was very open minded. Eric was gay after all and she didn't give a shit. But she was cautious. Maybe overly so but not because Alice is a girl, a woman. She was cautious because she had only known Alice for a month and although she liked her very much and felt like she had known her a lot longer, there were some very odd things about the girl and her family that were making Bella's spidey-sense tingle.

Bella had always been a very observant girl. It was a friendly gripe amongst her friends that they couldn't get away with anything because Bella always called them on it. Bella could hide things from people with ease, but no-one could pull the wool over her eyes. She had noticed that every single lunch time the Cullen's bought a minimal amount of food but only pushed it around, making it look as though they were eating. _'Have they actually eaten anything since they've been here? Am I imagining things?' _She had noticed that Rosalie and Emmett acted differently to regular high school couples, almost like they were married. She had noticed that they all had a tendency to disappear extremely fast. And like Eric observed when they first arrived, they kept to themselves. And then there was Alice. The girl was short, graceful and looked as though a slight puff of wind would blow her over. But whenever Bella felt the girl, accidently on purpose of course, it was impossible not to realise that Alice was rock hard. Like granite. She felt incredibly strong. And then there was the coldness. _'Has she been warm since I met her? I would say no but… would I even notice? Am I going nuts, imagining things that aren't there simply because my life sucks?' _

Bella had finally met Alice's brothers and sisters "officially" earlier that week. Mike had managed to get a detention for texting her during his class so Alice had invited Bella to sit with the Cullens at their table. Ignoring the curious stares from Eric, Jessica and Angela, Bella gladly accepted the invite. Before today she had known them all enough to smile at them when she passed them in the hallways but that wasn't the same. It was nice to meet them all properly. Jessica had certainly delivered on her promise to get the "911" on the new arrivals. Bella laughed at her friend silently. _'I can't believe she made an actual dossier on the new people!'_ But for once Jessica's sleuthing skills had come in handy. Bella was grateful she knew some things about them all before meeting them; it made for easier, less awkward conversation.

According to Jessica's dossier, there was Emmett Cullen, Rosalie Hale, Edward Cullen, Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen, her new best friend. Emmett and Rosalie were apparently dating each other which Jessica found, in her words, icky, but the others were single. They weren't related by blood, they were all adopted so Bella could see nothing wrong with it. But that bit of information only added to Bella's curiosity. '_If they were all adopted, how could they look so similar?_' As Bella was introduced to Jasper she thought of her friend. Eric was determined to find out everything about Jasper. Ever since he had laid eyes on him, he had developed a hopeless crush on the skinny, pale guy. He was bugging Bella constantly, wanting her to ask Alice if he was gay but she didn't quite feel comfortable with that, at least not until she knew the man better herself. Bella would prefer to ask Jasper himself, rather than go through Alice. If he was gay, maybe she could play Cupid for her friend. He seemed nice and Eric deserved to have someone special in his life.

Bella had a nice time with them at lunch and enjoyed herself. They were all mostly easy going apart from Rosalie. For some reason she had taken it upon herself to glare intensely at Bella all through lunch and she had no idea why. Bella was not ashamed to admit that she had been intimidated by the statuesque goddess but had not yet got around to asking Alice why she seemed to be pissing her off. She thought maybe the woman would mellow out once she got used to her being around.Emmett was a funny guy, very much a big brother type, and Jasper and Edward were polite and charming. While she was relaxing with them, Mike had turned up after his detention. When he realised she wasn't sitting in her normal place at their table he had gone after her and "asked" her to come back. Bella had noticed a look flash across Alice's face but she didn't know what it meant, or even if she had simply imagined it. Anyway, she had apologised to the Cullen's and moved back with her friends, ignoring the look on Alice's face. Mike's asking was definitely not a request, it was a thinly disguised order and she didn't want to bring any trouble on any of them.

Bella brought herself back to the present, paying attention to Alice as they continued their walk across the lot. Alice threaded her arm through Bella's, causing the girl to shiver slightly, not with cold but with pleasure. "Bella Swan I want to thank you. Thank you for making my first month here in Forks, Washington bearable. This place certainly has its charms. I don't miss Alaska at all." Alice beamed.

Bella laughed. "You're very welcome Alice. I hope we haven't been too boring for you. Not a lot goes on here. I was just thinking how much I enjoyed having lunch with your family this week. They are a little, actually make that a lot, intimidating but it's nice that I know them a little now. I'm sorry that Mike came and dragged me away." Bella flashed back again briefly to that lunchtime but shook her head, she didn't want to dwell on it. She glanced over the other side of the parking lot and saw the other Cullen's waiting for their sister at their cars, their very expensive cars. "You'd better go; it looks like your family are waiting for you."

"Yeah. Listen, do you want to come round my place on Saturday? I can finally introduce you to Car… my parents."

Bella's face fell. "Oh damn it. I really wish I could but I'm going to Port Angeles for the afternoon. We decided to go to the movies, we planned it a while back but we had to cancel when Jess got sick." Her face lit up suddenly as a thought came to her. "Would you like to come? Please? I could use some support, we'll probably end up seeing a mushy chick flick." Bella grimaced.

"Nothing wrong with a good chick flick Bella, some are very good. Thank you for the offer but I must decline this time. You go with your friends; we can get together next week."

Bella looked thoughtful; she really wanted to go with Alice. "Actually, how about I come around afterwards? The movie will be finished by seven. I can probably be at yours about eight?"

Alice clapped her hands in delight. "Yay! That'll be great. Carlisle and Esme can't wait to meet you."

"Me? Why?"

"They want to meet my new best friend. I've told them all about you."

"There's really not a lot to tell. But I'd like that Alice. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes you will." Alice noticed Mike heading in their direction and got a perturbed look on her face. She looked like she wasn't sure what to say next. "Um… Bella? This is going to sound odd but… be careful okay?"

Bella gave Alice a strange look. "Careful of what?"

"Just… be careful… in general. I know you are very accident-prone. Although I've not actually seen you in action yet, I've heard more than a few stories." Alice teased.

Bella was confused. She had been certain that wasn't what Alice was going to say. But she accepted the strange warning anyway. "Okaaay, I'll be careful. And for your information, I am not THAT accident-prone." she stuck up for herself. She caught a glare from Mike who was stood by his truck. "Okay, I really have to go now, Mike's waiting. I'll see you tomorrow." Bella hugged Alice, taking in the girl's scent and revelling in the feeling she got from being close to the girl. '_I could hug her all day. She smells so nice. Shit, Mike's still watching.' _Bella let go of Alice reluctantly and jogged to Mike's truck while Alice ran to her family, watching as Bella climbed into the truck and headed out of the parking lot. Alice still had a bad feeling about the boy.

It was only a ten minute drive to Bella's house from the school. But it was quiet in the truck, too quiet. Mike's hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles were ghostly white. He was silent. Even the radio was off; Mike never had his radio off.

"Mike, are you alright?" Bella asked nervously. She was worried; Mike's mood swings had gradually been escalating. She could pinpoint exactly when he started getting worse. When she had met Alice and the Cullens.

"I'm fine." Mike replied tersely. Bella just nodded and stayed quiet. She figured Mike would talk when he was ready. They pulled up outside the Swan residence and ran inside where Bella made a beeline for the kitchen. Charlie had left a note; he was at work and wouldn't be home until very late. Bella sighed silently, she had been hoping her Dad would be home, especially as Mike seemed to be in a foul mood. She shrugged off her uneasiness, opened the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of Pepsi cans for her and Mike. She thought they would do their homework as normal and then watch a movie. Same as they always did. She was wrong, very wrong.

"You've been embarrassing me lately Bella." Mike spoke quietly, calmly, almost menacingly.

"I've what? Embarrassed you? How have I done that?" Bella was confused.

"At lunch on Monday four weeks ago. You embarrassed me, staring at the new kids. You made Eric and Jessica think you liked one of them. Then you ignored me after your class, to be with the new girl. You've repeatedly ditched me. When you sat with them at lunch this week, you wouldn't even come sit with me until I had to come and get you. I was willing to let it all go but you've been hanging out with that girl and her family ever since you met her, practically ignoring me all the time." Mike cocked his head to the side and asked, "So which one is it huh? Who's caught your eye?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Mike. And Eric's an idiot; don't pay any attention to him. Or Jess. They were only teasing." Bella handed Mike his Pepsi which he grabbed and threw across the room, causing it to spurt out all over the floor.

"Don't LIE TO ME!" Mike slammed his hand down on the kitchen table and edged closer to Bella, clenching and unclenching his fists which didn't go unnoticed by his girlfriend. "Who were you checking out? Who do you like enough to ignore your boyfriend? The big guy? The blonde?" Mike stared at Bella keenly, his eyes squinting, "Or is it Alice?"

Bella was starting to get scared, "Mike I haven't been 'checking anyone out'. I was just curious about the new kids when they arrived, same as everyone else. I like them, they're really great. Eric, Jess and Ange like them. And Alice is just my friend, that's all." _'Please believe that. Please.'_

"YOU'RE LYING TO ME." Mike yelled again and raised his hand, bringing it hard across Bella's cheek. Bella gasped and held the side of her face, her cheek stinging, bringing tears to her eyes.

"Mike what the hell are you doing? This is crazy, please don't do this. You promised you'd never hurt me again." Bella was trying so hard not to cry, not to appear weak.

"But it's all your fault Bella. You know I don't like being lied to. And you're my girlfriend, why are you looking at other people? WHY?"

"I'm not!" Bella yelled. She realised her mistake immediately as Mike's face took on a vicious look. "I'm sorr…" She was cut off as Mike punched her in her stomach. She fell to the floor, doubled up in pain and trying to catch her breath.

"You dare to yell at me? Your boyfriend? You check out other guys and girls in front of me…" Mike kicked Bella in the ribs "…in front of our friends…" he kicked again "…embarrassing me?" He threw a barrage of punches down on Bella, hitting her wherever he could. Bella could feel blood running down her side, the large ring Mike always wore cutting into her. She remained curled up in a ball on the floor, trying to protect herself, until Mike finally stopped his abuse, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.

"You see Bella? You see what you make me do?" He grabbed her arm and pulled her up into a sitting position. She moaned, her ribs were so painful and she hurt everywhere. "Bella why do you make me do this? Why do you insist on upsetting me? All month I've been worrying about… losing you." Mike cried.

"I'm sorry." Bella whispered. She would say anything right now to appease Mike, to keep him calm. His mood swings had now gotten violently unpredictable.

Mike took in Bella's appearance and, as if a veil had been lifted, his wide eyes registered the bruises and blood, "Oh my god, what have I done? Please forgive me Bella. I'll never do this again, I swear. Just promise you won't leave me. I couldn't bear it if you left me." He begged, holding on to her shirt tightly.

Bella stared at him. She hated him with a passion now but she felt trapped. Should she agree with him? Promise him? Or defy him and risk his anger again? "I won't leave you." She would agree to anything right now. She stopped short of promising him but luckily for her he didn't notice the omission. She got up from the floor slowly and held on to the counter for support. She had to get Mike out of the house; she couldn't be alone with him. "Mike, I think you'd better go don't you? You're clearly very upset; you can't focus on homework right now. Just go home, calm down and I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Mike just nodded pathetically, picked up his messenger bag and turned to leave. As he reached the front door and grabbed the handle, he turned back. "You won't tell anyone what happened right? It'll be our secret?"

Bella just nodded.

"Good. Because I would hate to have to do this to your friend if she ever found out." And with that chilling statement Mike left.

Bella gasped and watched Mike leave. _'He would do this to Alice? Oh my god, he's turned into a monster. I can't tell anybody.' _When she heard his truck pull away she collapsed back on to the floor, sobbing.She was now officially in hell and she had no idea how to get out.

'_What am I gonna do?'_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight or its characters. That honour goes to Stephanie Meyer. **

**Chapter Four**

Beep beep beep. _'Shut up, shut up, shut up!' _Bella rolled over and groaned out loud as she hit the alarm button on her clock. It was the exact same action she had performed on the many mornings that had passed before. The sky was grey and it was raining, just like the many mornings that had passed before. Only this time everything was different. This time every move Bella made hurt like hell.

She sat up slowly, swinging her legs off the messy bed and sat gingerly on the edge, one arm wrapped protectively around her middle. She glanced out her window, it was pouring with rain and the grey, overcast skies matched her mood perfectly. _'Just like yesterday but now everything is different. How did things change so much in just twenty four hours? I know I wanted my life to change but this was SO not what I had in mind.' _Bella slowly got up and groaned, feeling slightly nauseous. She was extra careful not to trip over anything as she went into the bathroom. She tentatively removed the hastily applied bandages she had put on the night before and decided to have a long, hot shower. She ran the shower, waiting for the hot water to come through. As she stepped inside she sucked her breath in sharply and held on to the shower rail. The hot water was causing all her cuts and bruises to sting. _'Oh Jesus, that hurts. Damn it.' _As the stinging sensation gradually began to wear off, Bella began to relax in the now soothing shower, the tension seeping out of her sore body. _'What the hell happened last night? Mike was a monster. I've never seen him like that before. Yes, he's been acting weird but…Has he really picked up on my feelings towards Alice? He can't have, I don't even know what they are myself! And he threatened her! I can't risk him hurting Alice; I'll just have to keep quiet. Maybe he won't do it again. I have to believe he won't. But I can't let him get away with this.' _Bella was brought out of her musings by the sound of Charlie yelling up the stairs.

"Bella, get outta the shower. The hot water is almost gone and you're gonna be late for school."

Bella looked at her hands, she had lost track of time and had started to prune. "Sorry Dad," she yelled back. She turned the water off and grabbed her large, fluffy towel and dried off gently, avoiding the more tender areas of her body. For the first time, Bella was able to check out properly what Mike had done to her the night before. She stared at herself in the mirror and gasped.

She checked out her face first. After that stinging first slap she had received, she was relieved to find that it hadn't left a bruise on her cheek, just a very faint pink mark. But that was only visible because she was looking for it. No-one would ever see it. Bella hated make-up and never wore it, ever, so for her to suddenly show up at school caked in the stuff would have been very hard for her to explain. The rest of her body however was a different story.Her ribs, her stomach, her arms and legs were an impressive patchwork of violent red and purple bruises. On top of the bruises, Mike's ring had created numerous cuts that kept cracking open and bleeding. '_Oh my god,' _Bella was almost ashamed of what had happened. _'How could I let him do this to me? What's the matter with me?'_

Bella sighed as she grabbed her Dad's medical kit from the bathroom cupboard and gently put new bandages on the cuts and strapped her ribs, trying to gain some relief from the pain. She made a mental note to replace everything; the last thing she wanted was to have to explain to Charlie why all the dressings were gone. She headed back into her bedroom and grabbed a turtleneck sweater from her closet. She had never been so relieved to live in Forks, the coldest, rainiest place on earth. She could cover everything up and not look at all out of place. She checked out her reflection in the mirror. _'You can't see anything. No-one will suspect a thing. Thank god.' _Bella sat on her bed, finishing her morning routine and getting her breath back. Her ribs were really taking everything out of her.

Twenty minutes later Bella was finished and sat in the kitchen, forcing down a bowl of cereal so Charlie didn't suspect anything. _'God, if he only knew what Mike did. He'd kill him.' _Bella didn't want her Dad to get into trouble, so in her mind keeping quiet was a good thing. She was hyper aware of the throbbing all over her body. _'I need to take pain killers.' _"Dad, do we have any Tylenol or something?" she asked.

"Sure, in the corner cupboard. What do you want it for? Are you okay?" Charlie put down his paper and looked at his daughter inquisitively.

'_Shit, come up with something. Put him off. I got it!' _"Just women pains Dad, got the decorators in." Bella knew that would shut him up pretty fast and it did. He turned away, blushing and clearing his throat.

"Uh… just take what you need. I'll pick some more up later."

"Thanks Dad." Bella washed the pills down with a cold glass of water, hoping they would at least take the edge off. She was just finishing her water and contemplating asking Charlie if she could stay home for the day when she heard Mike pull up outside the house and park his truck. _'No way. I didn't think he'd have the nerve to show up this morning.' _She braced herself and turned away, staring into the sink as Mike let himself in the house.

"Good morning Chief." Mike said cheerfully.

"Morning Mike." Charlie grunted.

Mike looked at Bella and slowly went and stood behind her. He put his arm around her gently. "Good morning Bella. And how's my favourite girl today?" he asked quietly, kissing Bella on her cheek.

Bella was completely stunned. _'What the…? Is he schizo or something? How can he act like nothing happened last night?' _She shrugged him off gently."I'm okay Mike," she replied warily. She glanced at Charlie; he was totally oblivious to her behaviour around her boyfriend.

"Great. Have you eaten? Are you ready to go?"

"Uh huh. Let me just grab my bag." Bella went into the lounge and grabbed her bag off the couch. She groaned silently as the bag rested on her back, setting off another round of throbbing. She was trying to move as normally as she possibly could as she and Mike left the house but it was taking an incredible amount of effort.

When she was sat, uncomfortably, in Mike's truck and they were almost at school she had to ask, the silence was driving her crazy. "Mike," she spoke gently, she didn't want to risk setting him off again. "Um, have you forgotten what happened yesterday?"

Mike didn't answer; he just kept his eyes focused on the road ahead. Bella noticed his tight grip on the steering wheel and gulped nervously.

"Mike, please answer me. You scared me last night. You beat the shit out of me over nothing. You practically accused me of cheating on you and now you're acting like it never happened. Why?"

"Bella please, don't speak of what happened. I apologised and promised it would never happen again. I feel awful about it."

"You should feel bad. And we have to talk about it. It can't happen again Mike, I mean it. Ever. You can't imagine things that aren't there, or accuse me of things I haven't even done. And you can't be mad at me for having friends away from our group. Alice is great, they all are. You can't threaten me or them just because you feel jealous."

"I KNOW!" Mike raised his voice slightly and sighed as he saw Bella wince.

"I'm sorry. Relax; I'm not going to hurt you. And you're right, I had no right to act the way I did. Please Bella, I saw red and I just lost it. I don't know where it came from but I won't do it again, I swear to god. I love you too much babe to hurt you."

"But you did hurt me Mike. You should see what I look like this morning. You're lucky Charlie didn't see, he would probably lock you up."

"You're not gonna tell him are you? Bella please, how many times can I say I'm sorry and it won't happen again? Look, I'll even get some help if that's what it will take for you to believe me. Just please don't tell anyone." He was pleading now.

Bella remained quiet, staring out the side window and watching the passing scenery. Mike was saying all the right things but this had now happened twice, the second time much worse than the first. _'Does he need help? Can I believe him?' _Bella realised she had no choice but to give him the benefit of the doubt. He had after all threatened her friend and she would never forgive herself if he did something to the petite pixie. "Okay Mike, I won't say anything. But if you ever, EVER do this again, we're done. For good. And I will report you. Do you understand me?"

Mike just nodded his head and tried to hold Bella's hand but she wouldn't let him. The feeling of Mike now made her skin crawl, as though she literally had hundred's of spiders running all over her body. She shuddered. She couldn't quite believe she had let this incident go. Bella was disgusted with herself for not even breaking up with him. She had always been anti-violence and had always believed that she would walk away if anyone even dared to try and hit her. But now she had let someone hurt her twice and she despised herself for it. After everything she had been feeling the last few months, this was her opportunity to get away from Mike. It was not a perfect opportunity by any stretch of the imagination, but still a chance. But that one threat he had made bore a huge influence on any decision Bella could make from now on. _'Because I would hate to have to do this to your friend if she ever found out.'_ Bella shuddered. She could not, would not, risk anything happening to Alice. Even if that meant staying with Mike.

Before Bella knew it, they had arrived at Forks High and parked up in the parking lot. Remembering what Mike had done the day before, Bella waited for him to join her first so they could walk in together. She looked around for Alice but there was no sign of her. Bella knew she was there though, she could see the Cullen cars. Mike walked her all the way to the door of her first class and kissed her.

"See you at lunch babe."

Bella nodded and watched him leave, sighing with relief as he disappeared around the corner. She wiped her mouth on her shirt sleeve; the thought of any part of Mike on her was vile. She took a deep breath, opened the door and walked into her class. She looked straight at her desk in the back of the room, seeking out the one person she needed to see desperately. Her new best friend, Alice Cullen. Bella smiled at Alice and as she walked towards her seat her heart started to beat faster and faster. _'Woah, calm down Bella. It's just Alice.' _She sat in her seat and smiled again. "Hey Alice, sorry I'm late."

"Good morning Bella. How are you on this miserable morning? And why are you late?"

Bella was about to answer when she noticed that Alice had an odd look on her face. She was staring at Bella intently, causing the girl to blush and shift uneasily in her seat. Bella looked down at herself; she had all her clothes on. She wasn't wearing her underwear on the outside. All was normal. "Alice? Is something wrong?"

"Bella are you alright? You have a mark on your face and you seemed to be moving awkwardly when you came in."

Bella froze. '_I checked my face, there's nothing there. Wait… there was a faint mark. No way in hell she can see that mark! Can she?' _"I'm fine Alice, there's nothing on my face. I think I would know if there was." Bella answered, a little too quickly and also with a little hostility. She needed to cover herself; she couldn't risk Alice finding out what had happened. "Honestly Alice, I'm okay. I fell out of bed last night and I'm just a little sore. Just clumsy old me."

Alice said nothing but she seemed reluctant to accept Bella's explanation and continued to stare. Bella was starting to feel very uncomfortable under her gaze. _'Alice, please, please let this go. Don't push it.' _Bella begged silently. Luckily Bella was saved from any more questions as the teacher arrived and the class started. She reached for her pen but only succeeded in knocking it on to the floor. _'Great. Even my pens aren't safe around me.' _Bella bent down slowly to pick it up. _'Ow, ow, shit, ow, shit, ow!' _Suddenly she felt some of her cuts crack open again as she stretched her side unintentionally. Bella felt the slight warmth of her blood trickling out of the cuts. She was thankful she had put on the extra thick dressing pads. They would absorb the blood and stop it from showing through her top. Bella got herself upright again and glanced at Alice, hoping she hadn't noticed anything. What she saw instead stunned her.

Alice had moved herself so she was sitting at the end of the desk, as far as she could possibly get from Bella. She was sitting stock still, almost like a statue. She had also appeared to stop breathing and she was gripping the desk with such ferocity there were dents being formed in it. But what really caught Bella's attention were the girl's eyes. Before, they had been a beautiful, captivating gold colour. Bella loved looking into them. But now they were as black as night. Alice looked… almost terrifying. Inhuman even. Bella reached out towards Alice's hand but before she could say anything Alice had grabbed her stuff and bolted from the classroom. _'What the… how did she do that?' _Bella watched as the girl vanished with Olympic speed. She shrugged at the teacher who had looked at her with questioning eyes. "I guess she's not well or something."

The teacher nodded and continued to explain the assignment to the rest of the class who were staring at Bella curiously. Bella blushed as she turned her gaze away from the staring students and out of the window. She watched the rain falling down, the drops pattering on the window, the sound soothing her as her thoughts began to run wild.

'_What the hell? Her eyes were black! How did she do that? I'm not insane, they definitely changed colour. What caused that? She was fine until… until I bent down and cracked my cuts. Okay, I'm on to something here, wait a second. She is always cold. She's fast and rock hard. She doesn't eat. Her eyes change colour. I'm sure she stopped breathing as well." _Bella was starting to come up with a theory but she couldn't quite bring herself to believe the things she was thinking. She made the decision to leave it until she could get to her laptop and do some research. She was a little disturbed by the path her thoughts had taken, she couldn't possibly be thinking it. But any concern she had was completely over-ridden with thoughts of her friend. Bella was worried about her; she had looked so distressed before she had fled from the classroom.

'_Okay Alice Cullen._ _What are you?'_


End file.
